…and Other Unlikely Places

Perseverance (Werner Herzog)

“Perseverance has kept me going over the years. Things rarely happen overnight. Filmmakers should be prepared for many years of hard work. The sheer toil can be healthy and exhilarating. Although for many years I lived hand to mouth — sometimes in semi-poverty — I have lived like a rich man ever since I started making films. Throughout my life I have been able to do what I truly love, which is more valuable than any cash you could throw at me. At a time when friends were establishing themselves by getting university degrees, going into business, building careers and buying houses, I was making films, investing everything back into my work. Money lost, film gained.”Filmmaker Werner Herzog (who was a welder in a steel mill before making films)Werner Herzog: A Guide for the PerplexedConversations with Paul Croninvia Maria Popova at Brain Pickings

P.S. If you want to see perseverance in action watch Fitzcarraldo (1982) written, directed and co-produced by Herzog. Then follow that viewing with the Les Blank documentary Burden of Dreams on the making of Fitzcarraldo.

Small world. I love Herzog and have all of his films on DVD, but what struck me today was the link to Oscar Micheaux. Bayer Mack, who produced the documentary film contacted Frances Presley, a conservative black Republican blogger and member of my screenwriter’s group in Florida, to act as a producer for the docs… by leading with a link to your post on him. She’s now writing a feature film based on Oscar’s life. BTW, I first ran across your blog when I was helping Jim Mercurio do PR for his screenwriting blog and chuckled because I moved to Florida from Sioux City, where I see Oscar also lived for 4 years. Just too many coincidences to let slip by.

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100 percent of the screenwriters who now have agents at one time didn’t have an agent. 100 percent of screenwriters who are now working at one time weren’t working. 100 percent of the screenwriters who have made money at screenwriting at one time time didn’t made a dime.” Michael Hauge Writing Screenplays that Sells page […]